1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera control method for a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for controlling a camera mode of a portable terminal, by which a lens unit of a camera of the portable terminal can be automatically drawn into or out of the portable terminal when a call is received in a camera mode of the portable terminal and movement of the lens unit and the sliding key input unit can be controlled.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable or mobile communication terminals are currently being developed to support high speed data transmission in addition to a voice communication function. Specifically, by constructing a mobile communication network of the International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) 2000, it is expected to be possible to realize high speed data transmission in addition to the voice communication function through a portable terminal. The data which can be processed by a portable terminal capable of performing the high speed data communication may include packet data and image data. Further, current portable terminals are equipped with a camera or a TV receiver so as to display a moving picture. Therefore, such a portable terminal having a camera can take and display either a moving picture or a still picture and can transmit the picture. Further, the portable terminal having a camera may have a zoom function in order to magnify or reduce an image prior to photographing the image.
The portable terminal having a zoom function usually has a lens unit which can be drawn into or out of the portable terminal. In a camera mode of the portable terminal, the lens unit is drawn out of the portable terminal and takes a picture. However, if a call is received while the portable terminal is in the camera mode, it is inevitable for the user to answer the call in the state where the lens unit has been drawn out or to do a manual operation to put the camera module into the terminal.
Further, there is a limit to the amount of magnification or reduction of an image by the zoom function of the portable terminal because the lens unit can move only within the camera. Moreover, while a user takes a picture by using the portable terminal having a camera, the user may press or input a key having no relation to the photographing operation and interrupt the photographing process.